Most of us live (check only one):
☐ in an apartmentX in single-family homes
☐in retirement homes
☐in long-term care homes
☐on working farms
☐on rural retirement properties
☐ in low income or rent-to-income housing

The rest of us live (check all that apply):X in apartments
☐in single-family homesX in retirement homes
☐in long-term care homes
☐on working farms
☐on rural retirement properties
☐ in low income or rent-to-income housing

Most of us: (choose one)
☐Grew up in this area X Moved to this area for work
☐Moved here to be close to family ☐Moved here for other reasons

Many of us work in the following industries or sectors: (check all that apply)

X Health or social services X Education ☐Manufacturing
☐Transportation ☐Agriculture and food production
☐Retail ☐Environment ☐Mining/ForestryX Information Technology X Government ☐Other
Our congregation and/or community includes a significant number of people considered low-income or on social assistance. X No

Our congregation is like: (choose on that best applies)
☐A big family where we all know each other;
☐A medium sized church where we recognize each other but may not know each other well;X A big church with lots of staff, where small groups are close to one another based on common interest;
☐Other description: _____________________________________________________

Our heritage as a Pastoral Charge: (check one that best applies):
a) ☐Has roots as a Methodist/Congregationalist/Presbyterian/Local Union Churches/Aboriginal congregation prior to Union in 1925; or
b) we began: ☐between 1925 and 1945 ☐between 1945 and 1965 X between 1965 and 2000 ☐after 2000

We have been officially designated an “Affirming Congregation”. X No
We have a marriage policy allowing same-sex marriages. X Yes

We think of our pastoral charge in the following way:X We have a new vision and are really excited; still working out how to live into that vision

Describe the ministry in our congregation at this time.

A mutually supportive and respectful team ministry, where each minister brings unique skills and interests to meet the needs of a diverse congregation Usually one minister is responsible for preaching (including preparing the order of worship) and the other minister in responsible for worship leadership (including prayers and children’s time). Worship leadership is collaborative and shared jointly whenever possible, although having two clergy allows one member to be engaged in other Sunday church activities on occasion (e.g. retreats, Sunday school, youth classes).

The clergy are very involved in growing the leadership skills in the congregants and in each other, and inviting people to become involved according to their availability.

What would a newcomer experience in worship and church community life?

A welcome at the door. Another welcome at the Elders’ table, another welcome as he/she enters the sanctuary and receives a copy of the bulletin. Worship is relaxed but thought provoking with excellent sermons and wonderful delivery from both clergy. The children gather very enthusiastically at the front in the “Children’s Discovery Garden” to give their monetary gifts and interact as they learn from one or both of the ministers, before skipping / running out to Sunday School. The congregation sings energetically and the large choir is excellent. There may be a couple of infants and children in the congregation, whose parents choose to have them remain present in worship for a variety of reasons. The newcomer would probably be approached by someone sitting near, either before or after worship. The newcomer would be invited by both that person in the pew and the clergy to join everyone in the hall for coffee and conversation after the service. We do not use any physical methods (name tags, coloured mugs etc.) to identify newcomers. We do not invite the newcomer to join a committee until after it becomes evident that the person wishes to make OUC his/her home. The bulletin insert and the video screen in the hall advertise the many faith community happenings in the church and the clergy might highlight one or two and invite people to become involved.

Several times a year, the ministry team offer a 3 session Believe, Belong Become workshop for those who wish to learn more about the UCC, OUC and their own faith. There is no pressure for participants to join the church.

Attendance at a ladies’ dinner out or mom’s night out, held monthly, might be a less intimidating way of forming relationships with the people in the congregation.

What do we do well as a pastoral charge?

What are our strengths?

We are growing!

A strong and active presence on the Multi Faith Refugee Committee

An involved outreach team which supports the foodbank and local charities

Dynamic worship

Exciting and creative Sunday School

An active teen group that takes responsibility; along with very capable leadership, for its learning and social programs and its finances.

Several adult learning opportunities including a weekly men’s breakfast and java jive to discuss the readings for the coming Sunday, and a twice a year book study.

What aspects of our congregation’s ministry could use development and growth?

Communication. Like all organizations, we struggle with this. We used to put out a quarterly newsletter, both by email (more than 80% of our congregation have email) and hard copy, but few people read it. Of 600 on the mailing list we have 400 email addresses. We used to put monthly ministry team (pastoral care, outreach, Elders, Sunday School, etc.) updates into a newsletter, with a note in the bulletin and from the pulpit to check it out on the bulletin board. It seems few people read it. We have a communications team that is working on this problem.

Welcoming. Young families new to the congregation say that they feel very welcome. However, we realize that we are not receiving feedback from those who do not return, and that churches, even with the best intentions, can appear scary and unwelcoming. Our Elders are trying different approaches to address this issue.

Finances. This is always a struggle. We have more people attending but this has not translated into increased income. The congregation is very generous when we hold fundraisers for specific items (updating the washrooms), weekly givings are stable. We still carry three mortgages.

Outreach to the immediate community. OUC is a fairly homogeneous congregation, representative of the community in which we live. We could do more to be involved in the local community

What is our dream?

A community garden with fruit bearing trees.

A labyrinth on the property with shade trees, water fountain etc. where the community could gather and relax.

Three clergy and possibly a parish nurse.

The ability to sponsor more refugees, and more people to help them integrate into the community.

Removal or replacement of the tower. ($150,000 to take it down. Bricks are falling and it will have to be done)

Improved AV equipment so we could reach people via streaming, YouTube etc.

Bus to transport those with mobility challenges

Increase our weekly visits to seniors and those who cannot get out.

Provide drivers and help with shopping for those in need

Provide more volunteers to the Cumberland Resource Centre

What are the three most important ministry programs we offer?

Outreach

Care and support team (pastoral care)

Children’s and teen’s programming.

What are the biggest challenges to ministry in our congregation right now?

Financial

What will be the biggest challenges to ministry in our congregation 5 years from now?

Finding ways to engage the younger adults who see volunteering as a time-limited, task specific opportunity. Their busy lives do not allow for long, face-to-face meetings and commitments that are ongoing in nature. At the moment, we are relying on those 55+ to carry out the ministry of our teams (committees).What are the ways in which someone might be a contributing partner of a team without being a member of that team?

Expanding the spirit of welcome, on which we’ve been working so intentionally, to meaningful pathways of assimilating those we have welcomed … how do we move people from active participants to engaged volunteers and keep them inspired and motivated?
Helping the “silent majority” appreciate that their presence and participation in the congregation’s ministries are critical for the future wellbeing of our faith community … that their “yes to God’s mission here” is the only thing that will move OUC forward … without it the church falters.

The current financial burden resulting from earlier decisions, as faithful as those decisions may have been at the time (taking on a huge debt-load, assuming the endless growth possibilities of the institutional church), is difficult to justify to the next generation who had no part in the decision but now share responsibility.

Finding ways to engage members of the congregation in the mission and ministry of OUC while understanding the new realities and pressures on the “next” generation

Encouraging the “next” generation to find their place within the leadership of the congregation – and allowing the current generation to gracefully and graciously allow for new leadership experiences and possibilities

Continuing to be mindful of remaining faithful and relevant in today’s ever-changing society
Looking to the future with optimism and possibility and making the appropriate plans (financial, missional and otherwise) to ensure OUC’s continued relevance in the next decade and beyond

PART C: ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY

This is what we love about our community. This is what makes it unique.

Situated on the banks of the Ottawa River, steps from Petrie Island with its marina, three beaches for swimming, lovely sand and nature trails. Excellent bus service to downtown Ottawa (15-25 minutes), an exceptional arts centre, (The Shenkman Centre) in the heart of Orleans, nature trails throughout the city, excellent shopping, many restaurants, and a bilingual atmosphere which adds vibrancy to the community

The three economic, demographic or political challenges facing our area are:

Rapid transit is being expanded to carry people to downtown where most work. This has caused some traffic delays

Few strong employers in the immediate area.

Personal and family financial struggles which are largely hidden because of the middle class nature of the community

Here are two or three websites that offer detailed information about our community:

We have close ties with the following faith communities, social services or community outreach services: (e.g. food bank, community associations, etc.)

Queenswood United

Centre 507

Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard (GEFC)

Orleans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre (OCCRC) and,

food cupboard

Eastern Ottawa Community Resource Centre (EOCRC)

Helping With Furniture, Multi-faith Housing Initiative (MHI)

Interchurch Refugee Group

Tucker House, Habitat for Humanity

Are there opportunities for ministry in your congregation or community that could/should be explored?)

Yes. With several high schools, three community associations

Are there opportunities for shared ministry between congregations (United Church or other denominations) in your wider community/region that could/should be explored?

Yes. We should be exploring connections with other churches in our community. Although the Seventh Day Adventists meet at our church, we do not engage actively with them, partly because they are a francophone community.

Within the United Church, Orleans is a member of:

Synode Montreal and Ottawa Conference

Montreal and Ottawa Conference consists of five (5) Presbyteries: Montreal, Quebec-Sherbrooke, Ottawa, Seaway Valley, and Consistoire Laurentien. Spanning most of the province of Quebec and eastern Ontario, this bilingual Conference embodies a diversity of cultures and ethnicities that shape a unique flavour of ministry for those who offer leadership here.
For further information visit our Website: www.montrealandottawaconference.ca

The Ottawa Presbytery

The Ottawa Presbytery of the United Church of Canada is composed of 61 pastoral charges (49 in Ontario, 12 in Quebec) with 80 congregations serving over 18,000 United Church members in addition to an outreach ministry in Iqualuit, Nunavut. More than 100 ministry personnel (active and retired) and over 100 lay representatives are members of the Presbytery which meets monthly are various locations throughout the presbytery. Congregations are located in both Ontario and Quebec and are representative of rural, urban, and suburban communities. Ministry is provided in English and French as well as a number of other languages. Special ministries related to the Presbytery include Carlington Community Chaplaincy, Centre 507, Emergency Food Centre, Ottawa West Community Chaplaincy, hospital, military, and university chaplaincy, and Youth Ministries Program.
Settlement opportunities within Ottawa Presbytery often include a mix of full time and part-time positions in the West Quebec part of the presbytery and on the edges of the Presbytery. No pastoral charge in the presbytery is more than one hour and a half from the National Capital’s city core with all its amenities.

The services of the Presbytery Office support congregational life in West Quebec and both rural and urban areas of the City of Ottawa. The staff includes a full time Presbytery Minister, a full time Youth Minister, and an office administrator. The Ottawa Presbytery Office is located in the United Church Regional Centre at City View United Church, 6 Epworth Avenue, Nepean. The Regional Centre is the home of the west office of the Montreal & Ottawa Conference and the Ottawa Presbytery.

PART D: ABOUT OUR ASSETS

How many are typically present at a meeting of your Governing Body? 11

Our Church Building:

Our Sanctuary holds 500 people.

Are there meeting rooms? X Yes

What are they used for?

Ministry team meetings, youth studies and social events, quilting club, book club, adult ed events, moms and tots, Scouts. Also we rent space to TOPS, two exercise groups, two choirs, Seventh Day Adventists (hall and sanctuary) and Military Families French Language course

Is there a basement? X No

Is there a nursery? X Yes with audio from the sanctuary

Is the nursery toys/furniture compliant with current safety standards? X Yes

Is the building used by outside groups? X Yes
Brief descriptions (tenants, occasional rentals, frequency of use):
See above. Building is in use every evening, and many Saturday and Sunday and weekday afternoons. We have had to turn down potential renters.

Is there audio visual capacity in X the sanctuary X church hall portable equipment moved in as required.

Are all areas of your building accessible? X Yes except: The sanctuary has a ramp up to the pulpits. It is too steep and has no railing. This will be brought up to code next summer when we replace the carpets in the sanctuary.

If available, estimate of the cost to meet accessibility needs:
$25,000. Our fundraising campaign started this Oct 4, 2015 with the goal of upgrading the carpet ($17,000.) and ramp ($8,000.) by August 2016.

Support Staff:

Is there support for administrative tasks (e.g. bulletin, scheduling, and reception)?X Yes

If yes, how many hours per week? 22 hrs If yes, is this X paid

Is there support for caretaking tasks? X Yes

If yes, how many hours per week? 25 If yes, is this X paid

Briefly describe the music for Sunday Service:

Many people say the music at OUC is one of the things that keeps them attending.
We use both Voiced United and More Voices, with 4-5 hymns per service. The congregation is enthusiastic about singing. The choir sings one anthem each service

The Music Director routinely invites other instrumentalists (flute, guitar, trumpets, violins, drums, pipes) to enhance the music experience.

Is there someone specifically named to support to your music program? X Yes

If yes, how many hours per week? 15 hrs. If yes, is this X paid

Do you have a choir? X Yes If more than one, how many? 2 – senior and junior
The children’s choir sings at the service about 4 times per year.

Who provides Sunday Supply when your minister is way on vacation or study leave?

We have two ministers who can spell each other off. We have 5 lay worship leaders who take the service immediately after Christmas and can help out if both ministers are unavailable.

Number of worship services each Sunday: 1 at 10 AM

Do you have an active Worship Committee? X Yes

Ministry and Personnel Committee:

How many committee members? 6 How often does the committee meet? Every 2 months on average.

Has one or more of the committee members ever attended an M&P Committee training event in the last three years? X Yes

Pastoral Care:

Do you have a trained Pastoral Care Team in place? X Yes

Are there volunteers who help with the hospital, shut-in & member visits?X Yes If yes, how many volunteers? 10

We also have a volunteer parish nurse for the next year or two.

Does this area of the congregation’s ministry need to be developed: X Yes

If yes, explain how: Our care and support team is very active with phone calls, visits, caring casseroles and care bears to those who are sick. However, since many of our volunteers work full time, we could use more trained people. The team offers “Seasons of Life” seminars four times a year dealing with issues such as loss and bereavement, financial information, setting boundaries etc. The needs and possibilities are endless.

Christian Development / Faith Formation:

Do you have a Christian Development Committee?

We have Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Adult Ministry teams who support the faith formation of this congregation in a myriad of ways

Is there someone specifically named to support to your educational program?

Ministry Team leaders along with their teams work with clergy to provide faith formation opportunities for all ages

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PART E: ABOUT OUR FINANCES

The word or phrase that best describes our current financial situation is:

☐Abundant X Adequate ☐Not meeting expenses but optimistic

☐We are not meeting expenses. We rely on bequests and reserves to fund operating budget.

Financial statistics:

How many weekly offering envelopes do you issue? 182 (37 are inactive this year)

How many people are on Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR)? 128

How many active givers are there? 273.

What is the annual income of the Pastoral Charge? $414,289. (2014)
What amount of money is directed toward the Mission and Service Fund?
$36, 500 for 2014 (collected separately and not included in revenue).

What amount is paid for the minister’s salary? (two Ministers) $104,800. NOT including housing.

What was the total travel allowance given last year? $2057.

How much of money raised goes for building maintenance? $20,702. In 2014 for property, building and equipment maintenance not including custodial services ($36,490.)

Church building maintenance and repair:

Who does the repairs? Small repairs by a member of our property committee. Large repairs are contracted out.

Are major repairs required? X Yes
List in priority with estimated costs:
Replacement of frayed carpet and ramp in sanctuary $25,000 (in the budget)
Furnace replacement when it breaks $5000 (in the budget)
Removal of tower $150,000

Have you had to ask for assistance from Mission Support to cover your budget?
X No

What is the maximum salary increment you feel you are able to pay? F

Might you consider offering above the minimum salary? X Yes

Are you considering a reduction or increase in working hours of ministry personnel? X Stay the same

What other potential revenue resources do you have to draw upon in your church and wider community?

We have just started a grant application writing team, which, hopefully may be able to tap into agencies such as Trillium for some of our needs. We are expecting that this will be ongoing, but that the earliest successful request will not provide funds for at least a year.

PART F: OUR FINANCIAL RESERVES

We have sufficient reserves in the bank that we could cover three months of expenses if we had an emergency. ☐Yes X No

Additional Information and or Explanation:

This analysis does not include the special fundraising in 2015 and 2016 for the replacement of carpet and other renovations in the Sanctuary.

One of our Ministers is retiring September, 2016. As a result, we do not know the salary costs of the new Minister joining our church. The numbers of 2017 and 2018 assume an individual receiving a few thousand less in compensation than our present Minister who is in Category F and receiving a salary more than 30% above the minimum. The higher increase in expenditures in 2016 are a result of additional costs associated with the hiring of the new minister.

As of January 2016 Orleans United Church has the following long term financial obligations Royal Bank mortgage – balance remaining $71,000.00 (on an original debt of $425,000.00). The annual payment is $17,240.00
It is expected that this mortgage will be retired in about four and a half years.
Church Extension Loan – current balance $116,700.00. As agreed, annual payment is for interest only in the amount of $820.00. As soon as the Royal Bank mortgage has been paid off, Payments on this loan are expected to begin, with terms to be negotiated.
McKendry Capital Fund – current balance $100,000.00. As agreed, annual payment is for interest only at a rate equal to the Royal Trust T-bill account rate. In 2016, the interest payment was $2,334. Payment on this loan will begin after the Church Extension Loan has been paid off.

The brickwork on the Church tower has deteriorated badly. The cost of demolition or repair is estimated at $150,000. No provision has been made to deal with this issue.

Contact Us

Podcast Available on iTunes

Audio versions of the Sermons are now available on iTune. You can find us by searching for Orleans United Church.

Assisted Listening

Those requiring assistance with hearing the service may use any portable FM radio with headphones to listen to our worship service. We are transmitting on 95.7 Mhz.

Welcome to Orleans United Church

At Orleans United Church we seek to be a place where people of all ages, stages, backgrounds, and traditions can come together to worship God and build community.

Worship takes place on Sunday mornings at 10 am, with nursery care and programs for our children and youth offered each week. We would be delighted to have you join us.

So bring a friend, invite a neighbour, spread the word – the Spirit is alive and at work at Orleans United Church this fall and we are excited about all that God has in store for us in the year to come!